Cap or closure for bottles, jars, cans, and the like, and method of making the same.



PATENTEITYAUGi 28, 1906.

W. H. DODGE. CAP 0R CLOSURE FOR BOTTLES; JARS, ems; AND THE LIKE, ANDMETHOD-5 OF MAKING THE SAME.

APILIGATION FILED mm. 12. 1906.

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UNITED STATES rnrnnr OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. DODGE, OF MONTCLAIR, NEWV JERSEY.

CAP 0R CLOSURE FOR BOTTLES, JARS, CANS, AND THE L|KE,AND METHOD OFMAKING THE SAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 28, 1906.

Original application filed October 31, 1905, Serial No. 285,255. Dividedand this application filed February 12,1906. Serial No. 300,801.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. DODGE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Montclair, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Caps or Closures forBottles, Jars, Cans, and the Like, and Methods ofMaking the Same, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates 'to caps or closures for bottles, jars, cans, orthe like and methods of making the same.

The object of the invention is to provide a cap or closure for bottles,jars, cans, or the like which is simple in construction, economical inmanufacture, and efficient as a hermetic sealing device and which can bequickly and readily applied to or removed from the bottle, jar, can, orthe like.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cap or closure of thecharacter referred to made from a single piece or sheet of metal orother suitable material and having a base or top with an integralcontinuous peripheral flange separated from such base or top for aportion of the circumferential length of such flange, the separated partof the flange having a foldable portion formed therein intermediate theends thereof, whereby such separated portion of the flange is formedinto two contractible parts, enabling the flange to be circumferentiallycontracted in diameter.

Other objects of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter.

The invention consists, substantially, in

the construction, combination, location, ar-

rangement of parts, and mode of operation, all as will be more fullyhereinafter set forth, as shown in the a companying drawings, andfinally pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings and the various views andreference-signs appearing thereon, Figure 1 is a top plan View of a capor cover embodying the principles of my invention and showing a portionof the flange separated from the base or top. Fig. 2 is a broken view inplan showing the portions of the flange contracted in diameter when thecap or closure is applied for use. Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation,parts in section, of a bottle, jar, can, or the like, showing theapplication thereto of a cap or closure embodying the principles of myinvention. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are detail views illustrating variousdesigns and shapes of integral connecting web portions formed in theflange and designed to be bent into a fold to circumferentiallycontractthe flange.

In the manufacture of -caps or closures for bottles, jars, cans, or thelike it is desired to produce a device which is simple in construction,economical in manufacture, and capable of being readily, easily, andquickly applied to or removed from the mouth of the bottle, jar, can, orthe like, while at the same time efficient in hermetically seal ng thebot-- tle, jar, can, or the like when applied thereto. In rnypendingapplication, Serial No. 285,255, filed October 31, 1905, of which thepresent application is a division, I have shown, described, and claimedgenerically various constructions of cap or closure wherein thesevarious objectsare accomplished. In the presthe same shown, described,and claimed generically in my prior application, and wherein I provide acap or closure consisting of a top or base A, having'an integralcontinuous peripheral flange B. The flange B is separated for a portionof its circumferential length from the base or top Aas, for instance, bythe removal from the base or top of a stripan outline of one formthereof being indicated by the space C in Fig. 1. This may be producedby cutting, punching,- or otherwise through the base or top A.Preferably this cut or removal is effected along and adjacent to theperipheral edge of the base or top, so as to leave the portion of thebase or to (indicated at D) attached to the separate portion of theflange, thereby forming a lip or rim thereon ada ted when the cap iscompleted and applied to a bottle, jar, can, or the like, as indicatedin Fig. 3, to lap past, over, or upon the adjacent edge of the base ortop,

thereby not only permitting the flange to be circumferentiallycontracted, but also efficiently closing and sealing the cut madethrough the top or base to form the separated part referred to. In orderthat the flange may be circumferentially contracted in order to applythe same and to close the cut made through the base or top, I propose toprovide the separated part of the flange at a convenient pointintermediate the end s thereof with an integral web portion E, which iscapable of being formed into a bend or fold, as indicated at F, wherebyby suitably bending or folding the web portion into a k op the separatedportion of the flange is circumferflange lies 'on opposite sides of saidweb.

It will be observed that in the initial stage of production of the capand before the removal of the strip from the top or base, as abovereferred to, the said top or base is of eccentric shape, and the removalof the strip reduces the top or base to circular shape, thereby leavingthe flange ofgreater circumferential length than the peripheral lengthof the top or base, and the fold formed in the flange serves to contractthe length of the flange, thereby drawing the flange closely around thetop or base to produce the completed cap.

In practice I propose to form a shoulder J in the shell from which thecap or closure is made at a point adjacent the terminals of the slit orcut made through the top or base A to separate the portion of the flangereferred to. The object and purpose of these shoulders is to enable theslits or cuts to terminate before reaching the extreme periphery of thebase or top, and therefore so as to insure that an engaging lip or rim Dis left on the separated portion of the flange throughout the length ofsuch separated portion. Of course after the cut is made through the topor base the shoulders J are removed or rolled out in any suitable orconvenient manner.

It is to be understood that the particular shape or contour or design ofthe integral connecting-web is not of material consequence so long as itis capable of being formed into a fold or bend, and in Figs. 4, 5, and 6I have indicated at H, H and H various styles of connecting-web, each ofwhich is well adapted for my purposes. If it should be desired that theconnecting-web portion be ruptured or broken to remove the cap orclosure from the bottle, jar, can, or the like, one or more scores orgrooves may be formed transversely across the connecting-web at anyconvenient point, or said connecting-web may be otherwise suitably'weakened, as indicated in dotted lines at M, Fig. 4, and M, Fig. 5.

In the application of a cap or closure embodying the principles of myinvention to a bottle, jar, can, or the like (indicated at P, Fig. 3,) Ifirst placed a sealin -disk R over the mouth of the cap of a bott e,jar, can, or the like or within the shell of the cap or closure, and theflange B of the cap or closure is crimped under the shoulder S, formedat and encircling the mouth of the bottle, jar, can, or the like, asclearly shown in the drawings.

- In practice I propose -to form the cap or closure from a single pieceof suitable material, preferably metal, such as tin; but in this respectI. do not desire to be limited or re stricted.

Having now set forth the object and nature of my invention and aconstruction embodying the principles thereof, what I claim as new anduseful and of myown invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

1. A cap or closure for bottles, jars, cans or the like, having a baseor top and a continuous flange formed integrally therewith, said flangebeing separated from the base for a portion of the circumferentiallength thereof, the separated portion of the flange having a foldablepart formed therein intermediate the ends thereof.

2. A cap or closure for bottles, jars, cans or the like, having a baseor top and a continuous flange formed integrally therewith, said flangebeing separated from the base or top for a portion of thecircumferential length thereof, the separafied portion ofthe flangehaving a 'foldable part formed therein intermediate the length thereof,and also having an enga ing lip or rim on opposite sides of the foldabIepart.

3. A cap or closure for bottles, jars, cans or the like, formed from asingle piece of material and having a continuous flange, said flangebeing separated from the base or top of the cap or closure for a portionof its circumferential length, and having an integral foldableconnecting-web interposed between the ends thereof.

4. A cap or closure for bottles, jars, cans or the like, having a baseor topand a continuous flange formed integrally therewith, said flangebeing separated from the base or top for a portion of thecircumferential length thereof and having a weakened part formed thereinintermediate the ends thereof.

5. A cap or closure for ottles, jars, cans or the like, having a top orbase and a continuous flange formed integrally therewith, said flangebeing separated from the base or top for a portion of thecircumferential length thereof, the separated portion of the flangehavin a weakened part intermediate the ends thereof, and an engaging lipon opposite sides of the weakened part adapted to engage or lap past orupon the adjacent edge of the top or base when the weakened part of theflange is bent or folded into a loop.

6. In the manufacture of caps or closures for bottles, jars, cans or thelike, the method which consists in forming a sheet of suitable materialinto an eccentric-shaped shell having a base or top portion and acontinuous flange formed integrally therewith, then removing a stripfrom the base or top along and adjacent the peripheral edge thereof toreduce the top or base to circular contour and to separate a portion ofthe flange from the base or top for a portion of the circumferentiallength of said flange, thereby leaving the flange of greatercircumferential length than the peripheral length of the top or base,then forming a weakened part in the separated portion of the flange, andfinally bending or folding the weakened part of the separated portion ofthe flange into a loop to peripherally contract the diameter of theflange.

7. In the manufacture of caps or closures for bottles, jars, cans or thelike, the method which consists in forming a plate of suitable materialinto an eccentric-shaped shell having a top or base and a continuousintegral flange, then removing a strip from the base or top along andadjacent the peripheral edge thereof to reduce the top or base tocircular contour and to separate said flange from the base or top for aportion of the circumferential length of the flange, thereby leaving theflange of greater circumferential length than the peripheral length ofthe top or base, then forming a weakened part in the separated portionof the flange at a point intermediate the ends thereof, and finallybending or folding the weakened part of the separated portion of theflange into a loop or fold to contract the diameter of the flange.

8. In the manufacture of caps or closures for bottles, jars, cans or thelike, the method which consists in forming a plate of suitable materialinto an eccentric-shaped shell having a top or base and an integralcontinuous flange, then removing a strip from the base or top along andadjacent to but somewhat removed from the peripheral edge thereof toreduce the top or base to circular contour and to separate the flangefrom the base or top for a portion of the circumferential length of theflange, leaving the flange of greater circumferential length than theperipheral length of the base or top, and also leaving an engagin lipconnected to the separated por-' tion of t 1e flange, then folding aportion of the separated part of the flange into a loop tocircumferentially contract the diameter of the flange.

9. In the manufacture of caps or closures for bottles, ars, cans or thelike, the method which consists in forming a sheet of suitable materialinto an cccentric shaped shell having a top or base and an integralcontinuous flange, then removing a strip from the base or top along andadjacent the peripheral edge thereof to reduce the top or base tocircular contour and to separate the flange from the base or top for aportion of the circumferential length of the flange, thereby leaving theflange of greater circumferential length than the peripheral length ofthe top or base, and finally folding a portion of the separated part ofthe flange into a loop to contract the diameter of the flange.

10. In the manufacture of caps or closures for bottles, jars, cans orthe like, the method which consists in forming a sheet of suitablematerial into an eccentric-shaped shell having a top or base and anintegral continuous flange, then removing a strip from the base or topalong and adjacent the peripheral edge thereof to reduce the top or baseto circular contour and to separate the flange from the top or base fora portion of the circumferential length of the flange, thereby leavingthe flange of greater circumferential length than the peripheral lengthof the top or base and finally bending or folding a part of theseparated portion of the flange at a point intermediate the length ofsuch separated portion into a loop to contract the diameter of theflange.

11. In the manufacture of caps or closures for bottles, jars, cans orthe like, the method which consists in forming a sheet of suitablematerial into an eccentric-shaped shell having a top or base and anintegral continuous flange, and forming offsets or shoulders at suitableseparated points in the peripheral edge of the shell, then removing astrip from the base or top of the shell from a point adjacent oneshoulder or offset to a point adjacent the other shoulder or offset, andalong a line adjacent the peripheral edge of the shell thereby reducingthe base or top to circular contour without reducing the circumferentiallength of the flange and also separating the flan e from the base or topfor a portion of the circumferential length of the flange, leaving aportion of the base or top connected to the separated portion of theflange to form an engaging lip, then folding a portion of the separatedpart of the flange into a loop to contract the circumferential length ofthe flange, the lip connected to the separated part of the flangelapping over or upon the adjacent edge of the top or base.

12. The method which consists in forming a sheet of suitable materialinto an eccentric shaped shell having a top or base and an integralflange, then reducing the diameter of the top or base without reducingthe diameter of the flange, and finally contracting the length of theflange.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 5th day of February, A.D. 1906.

WILLIAM H. DODGE.

Witnesses:

HENRY BEs'r, S. E. DARBY.

